


The Christmas-Hanukah Miracle

by CaptainKenway



Category: The Voice (US) RPF, The Voice RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, M/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 01:18:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9049414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainKenway/pseuds/CaptainKenway
Summary: Working on Christmas Eve sucked for many reasons. One of the main ones being it forced Blake to interact and make a fool of himself around his crush: Adam Levine.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays and a Merry Christmas to all!
> 
> So it's a Christmas miracle! I have in fact not died. And for those who care, I have not abandoned any of my other Shevine works (like the gigantic beast otherwise known as Nothing Lasts Forever). Tbh, I've just been very busy lately and lost motivation to write until recently. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this fic :)

“Just make sure everything is stocked and cleaned,” Blake muttered to himself. “There’s probably something to do.”

Blake’s lanky frame slipped up the next completely filled stock-wise and abandoned customer-wise aisle. He straightened an already neat row of shampoo bottles. He drew the short straw and was one of the few employees assigned to work on Christmas Eve. The owner of Cory’s Convenience Store, Danielle, insisted that people would be busting down their doors buying last minute Christmas gifts. That had yet to happen.

The shift manager, Tina, sat in the back office ‘filling out paperwork’ and definitely not watching A Christmas Story. The only other worker was huddled by the cash register, tiredly flicking through the same People’s magazine for the nth time. They only made brief eye contact when Blake obliviously headed towards the front of the store at the beginning of his shift under the false pretense that Miranda worked tonight. He turned tail and hid in the back as soon as he realized the only other worker was the intimidatingly attractive, aloof cashier.

Adam Levine was something of an oddity in Oklahoma. His family moved to Ada from LA of all places in July. The teen, also Blake’s age, was pale with sharp features, his spiky hair, general nonchalant attitude, and filthy mouth pegging him as a city boy. But Blake couldn’t even join the rest of the town’s mocking (some kids more aggressive than others) of the city slickers because the first time he caught sight of the new boy—the entire town found a reason to drive by the previously abandoned brick house the day a moving truck and a SUV with a California license plate parked on the gravel driveway—struck him speechless and with the vague notion that Dad could no longer convince him that being gay was just a phase. Because Blake was fairly certain that strictly straight people didn’t have wet dreams about fucking the boy next door in his pickup truck.

But instead of talking to him like a normal person, he avoided Adam despite the small town forcing them to see each other on a semi-regular basis. His plan was to wait for the best time to introduce himself and start an interesting conversation. The opportunity had yet to reveal itself and definitely had nothing to do with Blake’s heart racing whenever he caught sight of Adam.

Those sightings only increased when school started in August. Blake vowed to get over himself and talk to the city boy on the first day of school (mostly to stop his sister’s heckling). The perfect chance arose for a heroic introduction when some boys from the football team—Darren and Daryl—started loudly mocking Adam. The mocking tread the line between aggressively over welcoming and harassment and instantly made Blake’s eyes narrow. Blake’s doubtlessly scathing, but morally justified retort died when Adam rolled his eyes and said something bluntly sarcastic and insulting back—Blake hated that he couldn’t remember anything besides Adam implying that Darren was Daryl’s bitch—which _somehow_ resulted in Ada’s two rudest students laughing and instantly befriending the city boy. Adam still sat at the football team’s lunch table.

Then Adam did something that completely caught Blake off guard and made him hold his breath. A couple weeks into the school year, Adam came out as gay.

And no one cared.

Sure there were some adults who now ignored Adam but his apparently indestructible bond with Darren and Daryl caused them and the rest of the football team to shut down any homophobic teasing before it began.

Blake stressed for weeks last year when he came to terms with the fact he was gay. And he still was only out to his family and close friends. Coming out at school was something that Blake would probably avoid until graduation.

But Adam came out like it didn’t matter, like he was oblivious to the usual small town taboo that surrounded homosexuality. He announced he was gay with the same dramatics he announced how many siblings he had or he preferred basketball over football.

Add biting wit and effortless courage to looks and Adam grew even more unfairly out of his league while Blake grew even more effortlessly ensnared. A brief glance from Adam was enough to turn him into an incoherent, sputtering mess.

So Blake avoided the gorgeous Californian with new vigor. Working up the courage to talk to the city boy was easier when Adam was just a pretty face. He successfully dodged Adam at school. After all, they generally sat on opposite sides of the classroom—due to Blake’s meddling—and rarely crossed paths in the hallways or cafeteria. There was a close call in Mrs. Hixon’s English class with randomly assigned partners but Blake, fortunately, drew Gary while Miranda was stuck with the last slip of paper that held Adam’s name.

Blake’s plan was going perfectly, Adam didn’t realize the embarrassing tongue-tying effect he held over him (and thus their first eventual conversation was still possibly destined to be charming and full of Shelton wit) and Blake’s friends weren’t observant enough to realize that he currently had a gigantic crush on the Californian rock star.

Then Adam ruined everything.

Adam got a job at the local convenience store. The same store Blake worked at for the past year. Luckily, Adam was mainly a cashier so Blake wasn’t in charge of training him. However, avoiding him at Cory’s Convenient Store grew more socially awkward and obviously deliberate but Blake couldn’t force himself to break the trend.

Adam broke the rules. He was supposed to keep away until Blake worked up the courage to say hey or come up with a clever ice breaker. Instead, Adam infiltrated his work and Miranda, and now the rest of his friends, knew about Blake’s crush and his complete incompetence at forming syllables around him.

Adam had been at Cory’s a month and the longest they talked was Adam asking if Blake had any extra quarters for the vending machine. Blake just shook his head before fleeing the makeshift breakroom so he’s not counting that as their first conversation.

But now it’s just the two of them working. Usually there were other employees or customers to act as a buffer. But Christmas Eve shifts were an entirely different kind of beast. No one, not even senile Mrs. Gunther, was in the store tonight.

_Stop acting pathetic and do something._

He took a deep breath. It took a while for Miranda to snap at her friends, but he supposed a month of watching Blake and Adam interact—or pointedly not interact—was enough to alter teasing to annoyance.

He peeked up the aisle, getting a clear shot of Adam working on the People’s crossword puzzle. The city boy frowned attractively as he tapped a pen against his lips. Blake’s mouth dried. Adam was just a person. He could talk to him.

Blake went forward a step. Just a person.

He trudged slowly, glancing at the aisle products in a bad attempt to act like he had another purpose for walking towards the cash register. He swallowed. The worst Adam could say was fuck off.

Which Blake could respond with ‘only with you,’ but he doubted that Adam would be impressed. Maybe. All of his attempts to interrogate Miranda about Adam made the blonde roll her eyes and remain annoyingly silent. She repeatedly told him to just talk to Adam himself.

Vexing girl.

Blake hesitated. Maybe he should check the back again. There might be something to do. As the saying went, the hundredth time was the charm.

Adam stuck the pen in his mouth, flipping magazine pages loudly.

Blake steeled himself. No, he was not leaving. He was going to talk to Adam. They would have an actual conversation. Blake could finally get this annoying crush out of his system. Or have the crush get ten times worse because he and Adam inexplicably bond and Adam says something inevitably hilarious while effortless looking like he came from the cover of one of the magazines surrounding him and—

Something hard sent Blake crashing to the ground, the middle aisle box display filled with candy cane lights tumbling with him and scattering across the floor. The motion activated Santas began singing.

Blake shut his eyes, pressing his forehead against the cold tile floor. Maybe the ground would swallow him if he willed it hard enough. Or maybe Adam was miraculously not paying attention?

“Um,” Adam said, still unfairly attractive. “Are you alright?”

Fuck everything in his life.

“Oh yeah,” Blake said as nonchalantly as anyone scrambling off of the floor could sound. The motion activated Santas began singing again. “Um...you?”

One of Adam’s lickable eyebrows—Christ, Blake had it bad—rose.

“I’m fine,” Adam said. “Not faceplanting on the floor tends to have that effect.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Blake said like an idiot. What should he do with his arms? Cross them? Keep them uncrossed? A candy cane light rolled against his foot. Right, that. Blake leaned over and fixed the display. By the time he looked back up, Adam already returned to his magazine. Fuck. What to talk about. What to talk about...  “So, it sucks working on Christmas Eve.”

Adam didn’t even look up from People. “Not really. I’m Jewish.”

“Of course you are,” Blake muttered. Why was even small talk failing him?

That made Adam look up. “Excuse me?”

Blood never drained from Blake’s face faster. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way! Just um, I don’t know. I...”

“Don’t want to be stuck on Christmas Eve with a stingy, money-hungry Jew?” Adam asked blandly. Blake definitely had Adam’s undivided attention now and he never felt smaller.

“What? No, that never crossed my mind. Not that I knew you were Jewish before. I just thought—”

“That Hitler was misunderstood?”

“No!” This conversation was a disaster.

A smirk crossed Adam’s face. It felt like a trap. “I’m just fucking with you, dude.”

Blake eyed the city boy warily, ignoring the fact he still felt two seconds away from shriveling up and imploding. “Really?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Adam said, somewhat sheepishly. “I’m bored.”

“So you give me a heart attack?” Blake asked as he inched forward.

“To be fair, you didn’t see your face while I did it,” Adam said. He leaned forward on the counter, People magazine—and a notebook full of poetry?—lay forgotten in front of him. “It was hilarious.”

Blake threw him his driest look. “Doesn’t really help with teambuilding.”

“Neither does ignoring the newest worker since he started,” Adam said. Blake blanched, but Adam seemed unperturbed. “And that’s not even mentioning how you ignored me since I moved here.”

Blake flushed. He never even thought about how his actions looked from Adam’s perspective. “I’m not good with people.”

Miranda and his sister would back him up on that one.

“Yeah, that’s definitely the vibe I get off you,” Adam said.

“I’m not good with _some_ people.”

Adam smirked faintly. “You realize that sounds vaguely anti-Semitic, right?”

“What? It does not.”

“Our brief history and your unnecessary emphasis of ‘some people’ says otherwise,” Adam said.

“It was not an unnecessary emphasis,” Blake said. “You just misunderstood it.”

“Right,” Adam said, “clearly it’s the Jew’s fault.”

“Jesus Christ.” Adam snickered while Blake rubbed his temples theatrically. He was 75% sure Adam was kidding. But the niggling leftover percentage threatened to take over.

Adam nudged him. Blake tried not to freakishly focus on that too much. He instead turned to the cashier—whose smirk would invade his dreams with renewed vigor—and tried to look both interested and like someone who didn’t irrationally hate an entire religion.

“You can make up for your Jew-hating ways by keeping me company,” Adam said. Blake’s eyes widened. “This shift has dragged so far. Literally, anything will be an improvement.”

“Thanks,” Blake said. “Your charm could cure cancer.”

Adam snorted. “Shut up, cowboy.”

 

* * *

 

“You can’t keep eating the store’s candy.”

“Why not?” Adam asked, sitting cross-legged on the counter and rummaging loudly through a gummy worm package.

“Because you didn’t buy it?”

Adam stared at him blandly. “Blakey-poo, this candy is from a ripped or otherwise trashed container. Danielle couldn’t sell it anyway. She told me I could eat anything I found like this.” He waved the torn gummy worm bag.

“The number of unsellable candies increased a shit ton when you got here,” Blake said.

Adam shrugged. “They haven’t said anything.”

“You’ve been here a month,” Blake said. “Maybe don’t rock the boat.”

“Danielle is in here like every day,” Adam said, “and I split candy with her most of the time.”

The duo did always seem to be eating unhealthy food together. Miranda too now that he thought about it...

“Face it, you’re just pissed you’ve been here ten decades—”

“Eight. Fuck you for undermining my achievements,” Blake said, his hand almost unwillingly grabbing a handful of gummy worms from the triumphant Adam.

“And you could’ve been eating free candy that entire time if you weren’t such a prude,” Adam finished.

Blake throws a gummy worm at Adam’s face because really it was either that or kiss his smirk away and their relationship definitely wasn’t at that level. “This is why no one likes city boys. You’re cocky little shits.”

 

* * *

 

Blake’s paper ball ricocheted off the kid’s basketball hoop. “Damn it.”

“You’re actually improving,” Adam said, having the gall to sound awed. “Look at the country dog learning new tricks.”

“We had basketball before you came here,” Blake said. “You should know. You joined our basketball team.”

“Like that was hard. The high school team is a joke,” Adam said. “Less of a joke now that I’m on first string, but still a joke.”

“You’re not that good.”

Adam’s hazel eyes drilled into Blake’s and the tension instantly heightened. Blake swallowed. Adam kept his face impassive—as impassive as the cocky smirk let him—and lifted his paper ball. He shot at the basketball hoop without taking his eyes off Blake. Blake immediately turned to follow the ball’s arc.

He let out a slow whistle as he turned back to Adam.  “It missed.”

“Shit,” Adam said, looking past Blake and broodily at the paper ball on the floor below the hoop. “I was really hoping for a movie moment.”

“So could that be a sign for me to teach you about football?”

“ _No_.”

Blake nodded solemnly. “I thought it was. So the team you have to root for is...”

 

* * *

 

Adam tossed M&Ms at his face. It had gotten to the point that he didn’t even pretend that the candy was unsellable and just grabbed it from the shelf. “So are you ever going to tell me why we haven’t talked before now?”

Nope, nope, with a side of nope.

“It takes two to start a conversation,” Blake said, snagging the bag of M&Ms away from Adam. He ignored the instant pout.

“It’s hard to start a conversation when the other person runs away.”

Point, but Blake just shrugged, eating a few M&Ms. Adam sighed a few moments later when he remained silent.

“Great, well that was helpful.”

 

* * *

 

“Santa Claus, Steve Irwin, and Prince.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah.”

“I wasn’t expecting Santa.”

“He can literally travel the entire world in a night, sneak into any building, has an elf army, and has a headquarters in the isolated North Pole. He’s the logical choice.”

“But...you’re Jewish.”

“ _Wow_.”

“Oh, don’t start.”

“ _This again._ ”

“You don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s not prejudice of me to think you choosing Santa is weird.”

“Anything is prejudice if you try hard enough.”

“Can I get that on a t-shirt? Seems inspiring.”

“Oh fuck off,” Adam said, swatting the white ball on Blake’s Santa hat. “You’re just pissed I snagged the old fat guy.”

“Whatever helps you feel better about your shitty picks.”

“Shitty? I have Steve Irwin.”

“Who’s _dead_.”

“This is clearly a dream list of anyone living, dead, _or fictional_. Don’t be so smallminded.”

Blake gasped. “Are you saying that Santa is fictional?”

Adam rolled his eyes but couldn’t quite hold back a smile. “Prince is fictional. Obviously. He’s too good for this world.”

“True. Even though seriously, why Prince?”

“Prince is for pure entertainment and my wildcard,” Adam said. “I think Prince has the highest chance of surviving zombies out of all of us.”

Blake pursed his lips. “I could see that.”

“Right? I just trust him to survive the apocalypse with little to no effort and take me with him,” Adam said. “Plus he’s loaded enough to own a self-sustaining bunker mansion.”

Blake snorted. “Yet your zombie survival team has nothing on mine. Prepare to be amazed...”

 

* * *

 

“So are all city folk as irritating as you or are you a special breed?”

“You deserve a little shit,” Adam said. “You’re the town’s sweetheart.”

Blake blinked. “No I’m not.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Everyone loves you. You’re the epitome of a classic country boy.”

Classic country boys aren’t usually gay. Sure the town likes him now, but what happens when someone who’s not from California—which is half-filled with liberal hippies anyway—came out? That would do more than rock the boat. But Blake was beginning to think that wouldn’t be a bad thing. At least his peers, based off Adam, would treat him the same.

“Did I rock your world? Were you unaware of the unconditional love the town has for you?”

To tell him or not to tell him? He glanced up and Adam was beginning to look genuinely concerned. Eh, might as well.

“I’m gay,” Blake said. “Only my family and a couple friends know.”

Adam blinked and gave him an almost involuntary onceover. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Don’t act gay enough?” Blake asked dryly.

“Don’t start with that shit,” Adam said. “Who you want to bang has zero effect on how you act as a person.”

Blake swallowed. If only his dad saw things that way. He improved a lot since Blake first broke the news a year ago, but there were still times he caught vague disapproval or embarrassment from his dad. Mom wasn’t always quick enough to act like their usual buffer.

But he didn’t want to think about his dad. At least not tonight.

“So you writing poetry just happens to simultaneously prove gay stereotypes and be a personal interest of yours?” Blake asked, smiling slightly as he nodded to Adam’s notebook.

Adam stared before slamming his notebook shut. “How dare you.”

And yet another example of Blake failing at communicating. “Sorry, that was a bad joke. I just wanted to change the—”

“These are song lyrics, not poetry,” Adam said primly, waving the notebook. A quick half-smile darted across his face and Blake felt his tension drain. “They’re very different.”

“Are they though?” Blake asked, just to be contradictory. Then he frowned. “Actually, I never thought about it before but they’re pretty similar.”

Ah, so that’s what Adam’s genuine irritation looked like. He might as well learn it now since Adam was apparently a fan of playing victim.

“Are not,” Adam said.

“Short lines, abstract—”

“They don’t have to be abstract.”

“Deeper meanings, repetitive.”

“Deeper meaning and abstract are essentially the same thing, you redundant jackass,” Adam said.

Blake just grinned. “I think I touched a nerve.”

“Poetry is lame and dumb like your face.”

“Yep, definitely touched a nerve,” Blake said. “Unless this is your usual level of comebacks?”

Adam just flipped him off. Blake chuckled. He did eye Adam’s notebook in interest. Maybe Adam would let him read a song if he asked nicely?

“Since we’re trending on semi-offensive conversations—”

“Comparing poetry to song lyrics is not offensive,” Blake said.

“ _Semi-_ offensive conversations,” Adam repeated. “Are you sure that you’re gay? The middle of bumfuck, Oklahoma isn’t exactly crawling with potential practice playthings.”

“ ‘Potential practice playthings’?” Blake repeated with a grin.

Adam shrugged sheepishly. “You know what I mean.”

“What do you mean?” Blake asked. “I am so sheltered here in Oklahoma.”

“Making out with a few dudes just helped me figure out myself,” Adam said. Blake decided embarrassed Adam was adorable and his favorite. “Obviously everyone is different and that doesn’t need to happen. I’m just relating my personal experience to you, which seems like a terrible idea right now but I just met some people who—”

“I’m gay. Or at least bi,” Blake interrupted. “There’s not a doubt in my mind.”

“Alright,” Adam said, still flustered and still the focus of Blake’s affection. “Cool.”

“Super coolio.”

That snapped Adam out of his embarrassment. “Stop. You’re a disgrace to our generation.”

 

* * *

 

“You can’t run, Shelton!”

Blake ducked behind the makeup aisle. Two nerf bullets sail past him. Blake snatched the fallen foam bullets and waved at Adam, who ducked behind a too small aisle display.

“Thanks for the ammo,” Blake said. “I take back what I said, city folk do have some manners.”

Adam, predictably, made an offended squawk and rose out from his meager cover, gun pointed at Blake. But he moved too slowly. Blake pelted him with a bullet and ran away laughing.

“You sound psychotic!” Adam called, giving up on subtly and racing after him.

“You know you like it.” Blake flicked a shot behind him, but Adam closed in on him undeterred. Oh how quickly their gunfight dissolved into a chase. He darted down an aisle and the Santas began singing again.

“I was always oddly attracted to Plankton growing up,” Adam said.

Another bullet sailed over Blake’s head. He narrowly missed the same candy cane light display that tripped him earlier as he belatedly dodged.

“Good choice,” Blake said, shooting directly behind him and missing completely. He couldn’t exactly stop and aim. Adam was quick and determined. “You could finally be the tall one.”

“I am not short, you freakishly tall and abnormal furry beast.”

A bullet bounced off his butt. “So Bigfoot?”

“Bigfoot is too exclusive and popular to be you.”

Blake swore mentally. He only had two foam bullets left. He would have to make them count. He glanced over his shoulder and just saw Adam’s nerf gun. Blake darted to the side.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tina yelled. Blake and Adam skidded to a stop, a foam bullet hitting the wall beside their manager. Adam vainly tried to hide his nerf gun and blinked at her innocently. Tina stared at them unimpressed. “This is what you choose to do during your shifts?”

“It’s completely dead in here,” Blake said.

“We were just demonstrating the merchandise to potential customers,” Adam said at the exact same time.

Tina crossed her arms. “You’re still on company dime. I expect you to maintain our image.”

“Sorry,” Blake said.

“Yeah sorry, Tina.”

She just sighed. “If a customer, or worse Danielle, came in here, what would they think? Neither one of you is properly optimizing a ranged weapon. It’s a disgrace. Adam, I understand.”

“Rude,” Adam said.

“But Blake, I expected more,” Tina said.

And another prime example of why Tina was his favorite.

“I just wanted the city boy to feel like he had a chance,” Blake said.

“I hit you so many times—”

“Maybe three times,” Blake said, “and that’s a generous three.”

Tina held up a hand. Adam actually clamped his mouth shut. “The question still remains of whose side I should back. Arguments, go.”

“Mine,” Adam said quickly. “Blake has been a dick to me since I moved here.”

Blake gaped. “I have not.”

“You never talked to me and constantly left the room as soon as I entered.”

“True,” Tina said.

“I wasn’t a dick,” Blake defended.

“With as personable and annoyingly loud you get?” Tina asked. “You avoiding someone is like a Shelton kick to the nuts.”

“Plus I’m new,” Adam said. “I’m easily lead astray and influenced by my more experienced coworkers.”

“I doubt you’ve ever been talked into doing a single thing you didn’t want to,” Blake said. Adam spat his tongue in response.

“I decide you’re both wrong and wasting company money,” Tina said, clapping her hands and regaining her underlings’ attention. “We’re officially closing early. I got the all clear from Danielle a few minutes ago. You can leave.”

“Yes!” Adam cheered.

“After you clean up the store, obviously,” Tina said. She smiled. “I’ll be in the office if you need me.”

Tina left with a wave, leaving the duo in the middle of Cory’s. The store wasn’t too disastrous. The most annoying part of clean up would be picking up the scattered foam bullets, but everything else, due to Blake’s meticulous prowl of the aisles before talking to Adam and their lack of customers, was practically pristine.

“I blame you for this,” Adam said as he shoved his nerf gun back into its box.

Blake threw one of his gathered bullets at Adam. “You shot me first.”

“You antagonized me,” Adam said.

“Your entire being is antagonizing.”

Adam shoved some bullets back into its container. He frowned when his came up one short and Blake’s remained smugly full. Adam glanced around the store but no visible bullets could be found.

“If you didn’t distract me by tripping over candy canes like an idiot then none of this would’ve happened,” Adam said.

Of course Blake waited months for the perfect first meeting and would walk away with that as a first impression. “At least you’ll remember me now.”

“Yeah, that never was going to be a problem,” Adam said. Blake glanced up in surprise.

“Really?”

“Obviously,” Adam said, giving up and tossing his box of nerf bullets behind the counter. “You would’ve at least been that random antisocial creeper.”

“Thanks,” Blake said, leaning against the counter as Adam wiped it down. Note to self: Never avoid talking to someone for 5+ months.

“White Christmas” began playing on the store’s radio. Blake couldn’t wait until his next shift when all the repetitive Christmas playlist would be replaced by the repetitive country music playlist.

“So are you ever going to tell me why you avoided me?” Adam asked. “I was beginning to think I accidentally offended you, but Miranda told me that I had nothing to worry about.”

Blake pursed his lips as Adam attempted nonchalance as he finished cleaning. He was tempted to lie. Say something about...actually he’s not sure what he could lie about. All potential lies he could think of were extreme and involved death. He studied Adam. Yes, he was still the unfairly attractive, super snarky teen he crushed on. But he was also the person who made his Christmas Eve shift fly by. The person Blake discovered was incredibly stubborn, surprisingly insightful, had a twisted sense of humor, no zero filter, and was a gigantic nerd. In other words, someone Blake would very much like to crush on and get to know better thanks.

He would only regret not saying anything to Adam now. Either they could miraculously start dating or they could move past the slight awkwardness of unrequited feelings and head towards a comfortable friendship all the sooner. Adam was definitely someone Blake wanted to spend more time with. They got along better than he ever anticipated.

Blake’s face was already heating up as he met Adam’s eyes. “I may or may not have developed a gigantic crush on you when I first saw you.”

Adam’s eyes widened but he also had a slight smile, which Blake could only interpret as a positive sign. “You didn’t talk to me because you were what? Nervous?”

Blake nodded. “Grossly so. I wanted to have the perfect first impression to you. I just couldn’t find a good time.”

“First impressions can’t really be controlled,” Adam said.

“Yeah, I learned that the hard way,” Blake said. “My terrible planning made you think I hated you.”

“Not hate,” Adam said. “I just thought you were a douche for a while.”

“That’s really not much better,” Blake said. Adam just shrugged.

Well, the ball was firmly in Adam’s court. Not that Blake needed a confirmation or immediate response. Really. Adam was blunt enough to at least not beat around the bush. He would totally be fine and only slightly crushed if Adam chose to just be friends. Obviously, Blake would respect—

“Kinda endearing as fuck, to be honest,” Adam said.

Blake’s head shot up. “What?”

Adam smiled. “You and your face. You’re kind of adorable.”

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

“Just what every guy wants to hear,” Blake said. He had no idea what his face looked like, but Adam’s eyes were doing an adorable crinkly thing.

“Maybe don’t wait five months for an introduction next time. Then I could use other words to describe you,” Adam said. “I know you’re fucking hilarious and I had way more fun tonight than I expected—”

“Again, such a charmer,” Blake said, but he felt light. He knew his beam was getting obnoxious.

“Shut up, apparently you dig it,” Adam said.

Blake nodded, completely unashamed.

“I know a little bit about you, but I’d like to find out a lot more,” Adam said. “So—”

Holy shit. Blake barely restrained the impulse to pinch himself.

“Are you asking me out?” Blake asked.

“Well, I was building to that,” Adam said. “Like literally if you waited ten more seconds I would’ve asked, but you had to rudely interrupt—”

Blake darted around the counter and swung Adam up into a hug. The smaller teen yelped, grasping Blake.

“Jesus, you’re stronger than I thought.”

“Sorry, I’m just happy,” Blake said.

Adam smiled. “Yeah I gathered, you dork.”

“Wait,” Blake said, letting Adam slide to the floor. He frowned at Blake’s suddenly serious tone. “You’re not just...settling are you? I am the only other semi-out guy in Ada. You probably just want someone to scratch an itch every so often...”

“What? No, no,” Adam said. “If I didn’t want to date you I wouldn’t. It’s not my fault we just happen to be the only gay people in Ada.”

“It’s just sudden,” Blake said, “and only after I told you I was gay.”

“I’m impulsive,” Adam said. “I had fun tonight and knew you swung my way. I was going to try and date you before I knew about your crush. Your crush just made me way less subtle about it.”

“I don’t know...”

“Blake, I—”

“How you feel to have the tables turned!” Blake said dramatically.

Adam stopped mid-apology. “What?”

“Mr. ‘Do you hate Jews and everything I stand for.’ Not so fun on the other side, is it?” Blake asked. Adam was an interesting mix of astonishment, amusement, and annoyance. “You know, that was actually fun and your face was hilarious. I see why you did it.”

It took a moment for Adam’s gape to vanish. Blake’s laughter definitely snapped him out of it.

“You’re such an ass.”

“I did learn from the best,” Blake said. He swung an arm around Adam because he could.

“You’re lucky your lack of social skills and plaid somehow makes you charming,” Adam said.

“It’s the southern accent,” Blake said.

“You mean the thing I hear literally everywhere? Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Just believe,” Blake said. “We already had one Christmas miracle.”

“The store closing early?”

“Alright two,” Blake said. “The store closing early and you dating me.”

“That’s not really a miracle,” Adam said. “If you just talked to me like a normal person you would’ve charmed me within at least the first few meetings. Five at the most, I think.”

Blake shushed him. “The past is the past. Let’s just think about the future.”

“And if it is a miracle, which it’s not, it should at least be partially Jewish,” Adam said. “Respect my beliefs, you Nazi.”

“So a Christmas-Hanukah Miracle?” Blake asked.

“Works for me.”


End file.
